Automatic vending-machine.



(No Modem E, c. GnEwEn. AuToniAlc vx-:NDmG mAcHlNE..

(Application filed-.June l5, 1901.)

,., `mHvzw/l///l/M V Ng Patinten! Sept. 24, ISDI.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orifice.

EDWARD C. GREWER OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC' vENDiNc-MACHINE.

srnerrren'zion forming part of Letters raient No. 683,202, dated september 24, 190i. p

.Applets-n mea rune 5, i901., senti No. 63.263. in@ man To all whom it 'may concern,.-

vBe it known that I, EDWARD C. GREWER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna, State of Pennsylvania, havein'vented'certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vending- 'il/lachines, of which the following is a specilication.

`This invention comprises Vcertain new and useful improvements in automatic vending-l machines, the details of which will bepointed out in the following specification. This apparatus is intended particularly for vending medicines or. vremedies which are put up in suitably-formed packages, and the machines are therefore .to .be arranged in any suitable number of compartments, according to the number of different remedies which are to be sold, each compartment containing adistinct remedy andhaving a separate coin-chute and delivery mechanism.4 As the delivery mechanism is4 the saine in' each compartment, it will be necessary only to illustrate and d'escribe herein ,la single compartment of .the

machine. It willbe understood, of courseh that the machine may be used for vending articles other than medicines or remedies..

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a. side elevation of the vending-'device with the side of the casing removed and the parts shown in theirjnormal position. Fig.- 2 is a View showing the slide or pusher unlocked by a coin and moved backward a short distance.

Fig. 3 is a similarview of the parts, showing the-slide-inv its rearinostposition; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the slide.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a suitably-formed .casing having therein a vertical partition l, between which and the front 2'of the casing the packages 3 which are to be sold aref arrangedgin a vertical' column.

The front of the casing, vas is customary in this class of machines, consists of aglas'sA plate, through whiohthe packagesvwithin the package-compartment t areexp'sed to' View. At the bottom of the package-compartment is a horizontal fixed support `5, adapted to sup port the packages when the slide 6 is in its` rear-most position. This slide, as shown in Fig. 4:, comprises a rectangular block 7, which normally rests upon the support 5 and is interposed between the packages and said `of the coin-chute 22.

tion. Projecting forwardly from the sides of the block 7 is a metal strip` 8, forming an inclosure slightly larger than one of the packages, and to the forward end of this strip is connected a push-rod 9. The slide is movable back and forthby means of the push-rod upon the su pport and-is guided between the walls of the casing. A spring 10,'suitably secured within the casin g, bears against the rear end of the slide and continually presses the latter forward. The usual delivery-chute 1'1 is arranged upon thefront of the casing, and a shield 3Q extends around the slide to prevent tampering with the contents o f themachine. Uponthe side of the block 7, is arranged a metal plate l2,having therein a slot 13,the centrai portion of which is horizontal,or substantiallyso, while the forward end 14 of the slot is upwardly iuclined,a nd a downwardly-extending notch 15 is formedV at the rear end of vthe slot, thus providing a shoulder ,16 in the plate, adapted to be engaged bya pin 1'( upon a pivoted locking and releasiug'lever B. This lever isV pivot-ally secured in the rear of the slideI upon apin 18, eonnectedwith a suitsupportwhen the slide is in its forward posiable fixed support 19. The forward end 20` of the lever. is heavier than the rear end 2l, sothat when the :part-s are in their normal position, as shown in Fig. l, the pin 17 rests within the notch 15 and the .rear end of, the lever is held directly beneath the lower end The rear end of the lever is preferably formed with a depression in its upper surface, asshown, anda slot 23 eX- tends vertically through` the lever, said slot being slightly shorter than the diameter of a coin of the required size'for operating the machine. Small coinsV placed in the chute will therefore drop through this slot in the lever, While a coin vof therequired diameter "-will not pass through. Normally theparts remain in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the piu 17 lying within the notch 15 behind the shoulderl. It will therefore be seen that the slidewill'be locked againstfmovementuntil said pin is raised above the shoul-` der. VST-hen a coin of the proper size is dropped 'through theV chute o'nto the lever, the latter will be tilted, raising the pin 17 out ofthe notch. '.lhe pin 17 `will thus be raised above the shoulder 16 and bear against 'the upper wall of the slot `in the plate, and the-weight of the coin will hold-'the lever in its released position until the slide is moved backward to its full extent. When the slidc is pushed backward, the pin 17 is engaged by the upwardly-inclined or cam portion 14 of the' slot in the plate, and the lever is then further tilted', as shown in Fig. 3, until the coinwhich extends through the slot in the lever ,comes in contact with a stop pinor. arm 24, secured to the support19. out of the slide in the lever by the contact of the coin with the arm 24, as shown in Fig. 3.

In lorder to prevent the ,device from being operated more than once with the same coin, means are provided whereby after the slide has been started-in one direction it cannot be reversed until it is moved through the entire extent of its travel. As shown in the drawings, a rack 25 is secured to the lower side ot the slide, and afpawl 26 is pivotally arranged inthe rear of the rack when the latter isin its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. The pawl 1s held in a vertical position by means of a spring 27, connected to its lower arm, and

v Lthe upper end'ofthe pawl projects above the teeth on the rackwhen not in engagement therewith. As shown, the upper end of the pawl is squared, and the corners 28 and 29, are adapted to engage the teeth and prevent reverse movement when the rack has been started in .one direction or the other. It will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 2, wherein the slide is shown moved rearwardly for al short distance, that the corner 2S of the pawl engages the rack in such manner as to pre# vent a forward movement of the slide. After the slide has moved to its rearmost position,

as shown in Fig. 3, the rack, which is shorter thanA the 'distance through which the slide trave1s, passes beyond the pawl, and the latter then ret-urns to its vertical position. The slide may then be permitted to move forward .by the action of the spring 10, and the corner 29 of the pawl will engage the rack during this forward movement and prevent the rack pushed backward to its full extent.

frommoving backward until the slide reaches the normal position, (shown in Fig.'1,) when the rack will pass beyond the pawl, permitting it to assume its upright position, and the slide will be locked by the lever. j From the foregoing description it vwill be' clear that when a coin is dropped into the.

chute the weight of the coin will release the vlocking pin 17 and permit the slide to v-be When the block 7 has passed from under the column of packages, thelatter will drop onto the support 5 within the rectangular inclosure formed 6o by the strap 8, and whenthe slide is released Thecoin is then forced .it will be moved forward bythe spring 10,

the forward edge of the block 7 forcing the lowermost package out of lthe package-compartment, said package dropping onto the delivery-chutefll. As the slidecannot bo reversed after it. is once started in either direction, it will beseenAv that it is impossible to operate the machine twice with a single coin.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desi-re to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a vending-machine the combination with a pivoted lever having one arm adapted to extend across the end of the coin-chute and to receive the'coin, and having a' proliection upon its opposite arm, of avreciprocative slide having a 'shou lder normally in front-of said projection and a surface adapted to engage and tilt the lever so as to'eject the coin therefrom when the slide is operated.l

, 2. In al vending-machine a reciprocative.

slot having an upwardly-inclined portion at' its forward end. and a notch at ,its rear end, in combination with a pivoted lever having one arml adapted to extend acrossthe end of the coin-chute, and a pin on its opposite arm normally resting within the notch, .and means for preventing a reverse movement of `thc slide after it is started in either direction' and until it reaches the end of. its required movement.

4. In a vending-machine a 'reciproeative slide, a plate connected with said 4slide and having a longitudinal slot therein, said slot having an upwardly-inclined portion at its forward end and a notchat its rear end, inY

combination with a pivoted lever having one arm adapted to extend across the end of the coin-chute and a pin on its opposite armnormally resting within thenotch, and means for preventing a reverse movement of the slide after it is started in either direction and IIO until it reaches the end of its required movement. t

| In testimony whereof I aix my. signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD C. GREWER.

Witnesses z.

CRAs. W. DAWSON, Y SARAH A. SCHOFIELD. 

